System, method, and computer program for managing storage distribution of money tills

ABSTRACT

An automated management system for monitoring and controlling distribution and storage of money tills, and linking tracking of employee productivity to time in receipt of a till. The system comprises a cabinet, a control panel, and a personal computer. The cabinet is mounted through a wall to provide an interface having a front side accessible from a first area and a rear side accessible from a second area, such as a cash room. The interior cabinet space is divided into till compartments that are selectively accessible from both the front and rear of the cabinet. Tills are loaded and removed from the rear by cash room personnel and from the front by cashiers. The system is operable to anticipate, based upon work schedules, needed till types or amounts; compile and maintain useful associated records, including employee productivity; and link to other systems to further improve efficiency.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority benefitof a co-pending non-provisional patent application of the same title,Ser. No. 09/731,361, filed Dec. 6, 2000, which in turn relates to andclaims priority with regard to all common subject matter of aprovisional patent application titled “Controlled Access StorageTerminal”, Ser. No. 60/169,230, filed Dec. 6, 1999. The identifiednon-provisional and provisional patent applications are herebyincorporated by reference into the present application.

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

A microfiche appendix was filed in the co-pending application Ser. No.09/731,361, filed Dec. 6, 2000. The appendix contains the source code ofa preferred embodiment of the computer program of the present inventionand the microfiche appendix is fully incorporated by reference into thisapplication as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems for managing the storage anddistribution of money tills. More particularly, the invention relates toa computer-controlled system for efficiently monitoring and managing thereceipt, dispensation, and secure storage of money tills, and forrecording and providing related data for subsequent analysis.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Grocery stores and other retail and wholesale establishments often usecash registers and money tills to facilitate cash sales and othertransactions. These cash registers are operated by cashiers who areaccountable for the associated money till, typically receiving a “clean”money till at the start of work and returning a “dirty” till whenfinished, and being required to secure the till during breaks or otherevents requiring the cashier's absence from the cash register. Thosewith ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is desirable toclosely manage the storage and distribution of the money tills. This isparticularly true, for example, for larger businesses having a number ofcashiers receiving and returning tills of varying types during theworkday. It is further desirable to maintain records related to themanagement of the tills, including, for example, the number of timeseach employee received and deposited a particular till or till type andthe amount of time each employee was in receipt thereof.

Currently, at least one additional employee, typically a manager orother supervisor, must be involved in receiving and dispensing tills toprovide access to the cash office or other storage area and to recordthe transaction. This can create substantial and costly inefficiency,particularly where the second employee has additional duties and thecashier must wait to receive a turn in a till. Also, unnecessary risksare created because the cashier waiting with an exposed till is aparticularly vulnerable target for thieves. Furthermore, such frequentopening of the cash office to perform till transactions jeopardizessecurity and control of the cash kept therein.

Additionally, it is well-known in the art that great potential for abuseexists in traditional employee time-keeping systems and methods whereemployees are asked to police themselves and keep accurate records oftheir own work start, work stop, and break times. For example, a cashierpreparing for a break might be tempted, after turning in his or hertill, to use the restroom, purchase a snack or drink, and walk to thebreak area before considering the break to have begun. Likewise, theemployee might wait to use the restroom or wash their hands afterconsidering the break to have ended but before retrieving the till. Thedifference between the time allowed for break and the time actuallytaken between turning in and retrieving the till represents time andmoney lost by the employer. Furthermore, though it is desirable to beaware of and maintain historical records of employees' productive time,no objective or reliable system, other than traditional time-card-basedsystems, exists for distinguishing productive time from wasted time oridentifying abuse.

Because existing till management and time-tracking systems allow for orcreate inefficiency, increased theft risks, and employee abuse, a needexists for an improved till management system, preferably incorporatingan ability to objectively and reliably track employee productivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the above-described and other problems andprovides a distinct advance in the art of till management systems andtechniques. More specifically, the present invention is a computer-basedsystem for monitoring and managing the storage and distribution of moneytills, and for recording and storing related till management informationfor subsequent recall and analysis. The system is able to reduce thenumber of employees involved in till exchanges, reduce the amount oftime wasted waiting to receive or return tills, reduce till exposuretime and associated theft and loss risks, and reduce the potential foremployee abuse of time-tracking.

The preferred system broadly comprises one or more cabinets, a controlpanel, and a personal computer. The cabinets may be substantiallyidentical, each being mounted through a wall so as to provide aninterface having a front portion accessible from a first area, such as awork area, and a rear portion accessible from a second area, such as acash room. The interior cabinet space is divided into a plurality oftill compartments, with each being accessible from the front and rear ofthe cabinet. Frontal access to each compartment is regulated by acomputer-controlled door. New or “clean” tills are loaded into thecompartments from the rear; used or “dirty” tills are returned to thecabinet from the front. Each cabinet is linked by sensors to thecomputer in order to monitor, manage, and track compartment status andaccess.

The control panel is mounted near the front portion of the cabinet. Acashier requiring a till identifies him or herself at the control panelusing a keypad or other device, possibly including a magnetic cardreader or biometric identification device, such as a fingerprint readeror retina scanner, or other data capture device. The entered informationis sent to the computer to which the control panel is linked. Thecontrol panel is further operable to display information and printmessages.

The computer receives the identification and password information andmatches it to employee information, including compartment and tillauthorization information, stored in a database. The computer is thusable to match the particular cashier with a particular till in aparticular compartment. The computer records the time and other relevantinformation and opens the appropriate door to allow the cashier to takethe till stored therein. When the cashier returns the till, a similarprocess occurs.

Because till distribution is substantially automated, the presentinvention greatly increases efficiency and eliminates wasted employeetime. Managers or other cash office personnel are able to load thecabinet at their convenience and in anticipation of need as determined,for example, from cashier work schedules. Cashiers are able to receiveand return tills without waiting for a manager to finish other work.Furthermore, there is no need to delegate a human operator to activelymonitor the system. Instead, when a requested till type is unavailable,or when the computer anticipates, based on work schedules, that anunloaded till type will be needed, a page or other signal can be sent bythe computer to notify the proper personnel.

By using a computer to monitor and manage till storage and distribution,the present invention is able to compile and maintain useful relatedrecords, including the amount of each employee's productive time (i.e.,time in possession of a till). This provides an objective measure foremployee time-tracking which does not rely on the employee other than toreceive and return tills as necessary.

To further improve efficiency, the present system may be linked tovarious other systems, such as, for example, the commonly usedPoint-of-Sale (POS) system, and the Veri-Cash system (described innon-provisional application titled “Revenue Balancing Method andComputer Program”, Ser. No. 09/616,401, filed Jul. 7, 2000). Linking tothe POS system allows the computer to monitor, among other things, thetime a cashier uses between leaving the register and returning the till.Linking to the Veri-Cash system allows for faster loading of clean tillsand unloading and balancing of dirty tills.

These and other novel features of the present invention are described inmore detail in the section titled DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERREDEMBODIMENT, below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a preferredembodiment of the system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of a portion of a preferred embodimentof the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the cabinet portion shown in FIG. 2with the panel door closed and the slide and drop box in place;

FIG. 4 is a screen capture showing an interactive setup screen generatedby a preferred embodiment of the computer program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a screen capture of a databased employee record screen;

FIG. 6 is a first screen capture of a main menu and interactivegraphical interface screen;

FIG. 7 is a second screen capture of the main menu and interactivegraphical interface screen;

FIG. 8 is a third screen capture of the main menu and interactivegraphical interface screen;

FIG. 9 is a screen capture of a report screen showing all employeescurrently in receipt of a till;

FIG. 10 is a screen capture of an authorization report screen showingthe till authorizations of all employees;

FIG. 11 is a screen capture a till report screen showing all employeesauthorized to receive the particular type of till to which the reportpertains;

FIG. 12 is a screen capture of a funds compartment activity reportscreen showing daily activity related to a funds compartment;

FIG. 13 is a printout communicating the same information as theauthorization report screen of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a printout communicating the same information as the fundscompartment activity report screen of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a printout communicating information of the daily activityrelated to a drop compartment;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the system of FIGS.1-3 as controlled by a preferred embodiment of the computer program ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram showing the steps in a preferred method of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT System and ComputerProgram

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a system 20 is shown constructed in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention and operable tofacilitate the monitoring and management of storage and distribution ofmoney tills, and for recording and storing till management informationfor subsequent recall and analysis. The preferred system 20 broadlycomprises at least one cabinet 22 providing a plurality of tillcompartments 24 and at least one funds compartment 26; a control panel28; a personal computer 30; and at least one video camera 32.

The cabinet 22 provides a protective housing for the money tills. Thoughshown as being rectangularly upright, designs may vary and no particulartype of housing or cabinet shape or size is essential to the presentinvention. The cabinet 22 is constructed of steel or similar suitablydurable material, and is preferably mounted through a wall so as toprovide an interface presenting a front portion (FIG. 1) to a first areaor room and a rear portion (FIG. 2) to a cash room or office. In anotherembodiment (not shown), the cabinet is a free-standing device, possiblyhaving wheels for easier relocation. The system 20 may be easilyexpanded by adding more cabinets, each coupled with and managed by theone control panel 28 and personal computer 30.

The interior of the cabinet 22 is divided so as to define the tillcompartments 24. The front of the cabinet 22 presents a front opening 36for accessing the compartments 24. The cabinet 22 includes a pluralityof hingedly-mounted doors 40, with each door 40 operable to securelyclose the front of a corresponding compartment 24 and to thereby allowonly selective, controlled access to that compartment 24 via the frontof the cabinet 22. Though normally controlled by the computer 30, thedoors 40 are manually openable by a locking/unlocking mechanism 76 inthe event of a power outage or other disruption in computer control.

The rear of the cabinet 22 presents a rear opening 38 for accessing thecompartments 24. The cabinet 22 includes two hingedly-mounted paneldoors 42,44 operable together to securely close the rear access opening38 to all of the compartments 24. Holes 49 are included in one of thepanel doors 44 to accommodate and allow for the viewing of telltalelight emitting diodes (LED) 58, as described below. A locking mechanism48 allows the rear panel doors 42,44 to be secured. When desired, thepanel doors 42,44 may be lifted off their respective hinges and setaside or otherwise stored.

One of the panel doors 42 also includes a drop slot 46 for allowingdeposits to pass therethrough when the door 42 is closed. A slide orchute 70 may be attached to the drop slot 46 to guide such deposits intoa drop box 72. The drop function is discussed in greater detail below.

The compartments 24 provide managed, controlled-access storage spacesfor the money tills. The number, size, and shape of the compartments 24are matters of design, though minimum compartment dimensions are limitedby the size and shape of the tills to be received therein. The number ofcompartments 24 should reasonably accommodate the expected rate of tillexchange, the variety of till types used, and the number of desiredspecial purpose compartments.

At least one compartment 25 is operable to provide an exclusive access,storage-only compartment including an articulated roll-down door 53operable to selectively restrict access via the rear opening 38 to thecompartment 25. The articulated door 53 is shown in FIG. 2 in brokenview to allow the viewer to see the various compartment components52,54,56 otherwise concealed behind the closed door 53. The storage-onlycompartment 25 and articulated door 53 provides employees the ability topark dirty tills for subsequent retrieval without exposing the till, forwhich the employee is still responsible, to tampering via the rearopening 38. When the door 53 is not closed, and the compartment 25 notdesignated special storage-only status, the compartment 25 is treated asany other general purpose compartment 24.

Furthermore, one of the compartments 24, though physically identical tothe others, aligns with the drop slot 46 and is designatable in thecomputer 30 as a “drop compartment” operable to receive deposits ofexcess funds. This function is useful, for example, at night when it isleast desirable or safe to leave excess funds unsecured. The dropcompartment is deemed “designatable” because the drop function may beengaged and disengaged as desired. The computer 30 may be configured toautomatically designate and undesignate the drop compartment atpreestablished times. When the drop compartment is not designated, thecompartment functions and is treated normally.

Each compartment 24,25,26 includes a solenoid 52; a door sensor 54; atill detector 56; and a telltale LED 58. The solenoid 52 is electricallyactuatable by the computer 30, as described below, to open the door 40.

The door sensor 54 senses the position of the door 40, whether open orclosed, and reports such to the computer 30. Once opened, the door 40must be manually closed. In other embodiments, the door 40 is operableto close automatically after a pre-established period of time. If thedoor 40 opens unexpectedly, a warning message or alarm is initiated bythe computer 30.

The till detector 56 is operable to detect the presence of a till in thecompartment 24 and report such to the computer 30. The till detector 56may be any conventional detection device operable to perform thisfunction, such as, for example, a signal emitter/detector combination.The detector 56 is preferably further operable, however, to determinethe type of till present (e.g., checker, express, etc.) and the till'sunique tracking number, for example, by reading a bar code affixed tothe till, and reporting such to the computer 30. The tracking numberprovides management with the ability to track custody of each tillthroughout the work shift, and allows for greater control overaccountability of funds, which is particularly useful when discrepanciesarise. If a bar code reader is not incorporated into each compartment,then a hand scanner 60 is included in the system, coupled with thecomputer 30, for use by an operator.

The telltale LED 58 is operable to communicate the status of thecompartment 24 and till, and is controlled by the computer 30. An unlitLED 58 indicates an empty compartment 24; a blinking red LED 58indicates that the corresponding door 40 is open; a blinking green LED58 indicates that the type of loaded till has not been reported to thecomputer 30; a green LED 58 indicates a properly loaded till; and a redLED 58 indicates that the compartment 24 contains a dirty till or has aspecial designation, such as the drop compartment, so no till should beloaded therein. Each LED 58 is mounted on the rear face of the cabinet22 near its corresponding compartment 24, and is visible, when the paneldoor 44 is closed, through holes 49 in the door 44.

The funds compartment 26 is a special purpose compartment or slot,preferably the lowest, containing additional funds and change moneywhich may be needed under various circumstances during the work period.Typically, a manager or other supervisor will have exclusive access toand full responsibility for the funds in the funds compartment 26.Unlike the other compartments 24, the funds compartment 26 is notaccessible from the rear of the cabinet 22. Instead, funds are loadedand subsequently accessed from the front only, thereby facilitatingalmost complete transfer of control and accountability.

In contemplated embodiments of the present invention, other specialpurpose compartments may be designated as required, and are not limitedto a single funds 26 and/or drop compartment per cabinet 22.

The control panel 28 provides an interface with the computer 30 formanaging access to the compartments 24. The control panel 28 includes akeypad 62; a display 64; and a printer 66. The keypad 62 providessufficient alphanumeric keys to allow an operator to identify him orherself to the computer 30 using an employee ID number or password orboth. A second identification device 68 may be included for accepting,identifying, or validating information in other forms, including, forexample, a card reader or a biometric device such as a fingerprintscanner or an optical scanner.

The display 64 and printer 66 are operable to communicate messages andother information to the employee. These messages may includetimekeeping data (e.g., till-received time, till-returned time);business-related information, such as daily sale specials or changes inpricing; and personal messages, such as birthday greetings. The personalmessages could be specially entered for particular circumstances orautomatically generated when certain conditions occur, either in thepresent system or in a second system interfaced therewith. For example,where an employee retrieves his or her till from the cabinet 22 tenminutes after his or her break period expired, as determined by aninterfaced time and attendance system, the computer 30 could cause theprinter 66 to print an appropriate message to the employee and anexception report could be prepared for management.

The computer 30 actively manages the storage and distribution of tillsfrom the cabinet 22. The computer 30 is further operable to process andkeep related information, including, for example, records regarding thetimes employees received and returned tills. The computer 30 may be anycomputing device such as an IBM compatible personal computer, includingthose manufactured and sold by Dell, Compaq, Gateway, or any othercomputer manufacturer. The computer 30 includes a central processingunit 79 and is coupled with conventional input devices, such as akeyboard 78 and a computer mouse 80, and conventional output devices,such as a monitor 82, one or more speakers 84, and a printer 86.

The computer 30 further includes a software protection key (not shown)comprising a hardware unit serially attachable to the computer's printerport and containing at least one enabling mechanism. Each time theprogram is started and periodically while the program is running, thesoftware, described below and included as a microfiche appendix,searches for and establishes communications with the key. If the key isnot present or proper communication cannot be established, the softwareis not enabled and will not operate. If the key is properly present, thesoftware is enabled. Such software protection keys are well-known in theart.

The computer 30 also includes or is able to communicate, directly orindirectly, with a portable electronic signaling device 88, such as acommon pager. Inclusion of the signaling device 88 frees employees fromhaving to constantly monitor the system 20 for conditions requiringhuman attention, such as, for example, where the computer 30anticipates, based upon work schedules, that a number of tills or tilltypes will be needed which are not currently loaded in the cabinet 22.Instead, the computer 30 is operable and able to signal a remoteemployee that such a condition has occurred or will occur.

The video camera 32 allows security monitoring and recording of eventsoccurring to or near the front or rear of the cabinet 22. The camera 32may be coupled with a conventional video cassette recorder (not shown)or the computer 30 to monitor and record events. Furthermore,recordation of events may be continuous or event driven, meaning thatthe recording function engages only when a particular condition has beensatisfied or event has occurred, such as, for example, control panel 28activity.

A preferred computer program is included as a microfiche appendix foruse in conjunction with the above-described preferred system. Theprogram is operable to present and receive information graphically,using multiple viewing windows where practical, as well as audibly orotherwise, depending on the hardware available to it, and to monitor andcontrol various system components, including the sensors 54,56,solenoids 52, and LEDs 58. The computer program may be implemented inany suitable high or low level computer language, such as C++, Java, orAssembly, and stored on any suitable computer readable media accessibleto the computer 30, such as CD-ROM or magnetic disk.

Once installed on the computer 30, the program may be started with acommand such as “CAST.exe”. The program then conducts an automaticinitialization phase wherein, for example, it detects the softwareprotection key, transfers required data from one memory device orlocation to another, sets and formats the monitor display 82, loads anyrequired drivers, and initializes components coupled with the computer30.

FIGS. 4-15 are screen captures of screens actually generated anddisplayed by the system 20 and software of the present invention. Eachscreen capture is of a separate window in the computer display, meaningthat a plurality of the windows shown in the screen captures can bedisplayed on the computer monitor 82 simultaneously.

Prior to an operator using the system 20, the software should beinitially configured. Configuration can be changed while the system 20is in operation. FIG. 4 shows the setup screen 120 comprising a numberof fields, including a message field 122; a funds compartment assignmentfield 124; a funds compartment configuration field 126; a lowcompartments field 128; an alarm field 130; a scanner field 132; and anight drop field 134. Additional fields may be included as needed toconfigure or define program and system options.

The message field 122 allows the operator to enter and clear messages orrevert to a previous message. As a message is entered, the programautomatically wraps the text to fit the text box without truncatingwords. The message is displayed in the message field 122 as it wouldappear on the display screen 64 of the control panel 28.

The funds compartment assignment field 124 allows the operator todesignate one of the compartments as a funds compartment 26. Asdescribed above, the funds compartment 26 is preferably a particularcompartment. As can be understood from the setup screen 120, however,none, any one, or many compartments may be designated as fundscompartments, as may be desired. If a funds compartment 26 isdesignated, then the funds compartment configuration field 126 allowsthe operator to provide or define how many employees will have access tothe compartment 26, which till type will be the funds till type, andother relevant information.

The low compartments field 128 allows the operator to define thecompartments 24 considered “low”. Where employee height information isincluded in the employee database, the program is able to correlate thatdata with the low compartment data to, where possible, open lowercompartments for shorter employees and higher compartments for talleremployees.

The alarm field 130 allows the operator to define the amount of time,preferably between 1 and 30 seconds, an alarm will sound in the event ofa forced opening of a compartment door 40. The scanner field 132 allowsthe operator to indicate whether a hand scanner 60 is to be used toprovide compartment and till status information to the program. Thenight drop field 134 allows the operator to indicate whether a dropcompartment will be used, and, if so, between what hours (typicallyduring the night). The night drop field 134 is also used to set the dropcompartment password, which is preferably a common password available toany employee who may need to deposit excess cash.

Also prior to using the system 20, an employee database must bepopulated with relevant employee information. If a particular employeehas not been entered into the database, the software will not allow thatemployee access to the system 20 via the control panel 28. The databasemay be updated while the system 20 is in operation. FIG. 5 shows theemployee database screen 140 comprising a number of buttons and fields,including a new button 142; a delete button 144; number and name fields146; a password field 148; a height field 150; a till type field 152; afirst print field 154; a personal message field 156; and a second printfield 158. Additional fields may be added as needed to include otherrelevant employee information.

The new button 142 creates a new employee record in the database. Thedelete button 144 deletes an employee's record from the database. Wheninterfaced with other systems, the computer 30 of the present system 20may automatically update its database based upon one or more databasesin the interfaced systems. To prevent loss of entire files, deletions ofmore than ten employee records requires operator validation. A printabledaily report indicates those employees added to or removed from thedatabase that day.

The number and name fields 142 allow the operator to enter theemployee's number and name. The password field 148 allows the operatorto set a password for the employee. The employee number and password areused by the program to grant or deny access to and track employee use ofthe system 20.

The height field 150 allows the operator to apprise the program of theemployee's height. This information is used in conjunction with the lowcompartment data entered via the setup screen 120, described above, tomatch, when possible, employee height with compartment height. Thisallows the system 20 to conveniently accommodate shorter and talleremployees.

The first print field 154 allows the operator to indicate whether themessage of the day should be printed by the control panel printer 66when the particular employee accesses a compartment 24,26 via thecontrol panel 28, and how many times per day (e.g., only upon firstaccess, upon every access, etc.) the message should be printed for theemployee. The message was entered via the setup screen 120, describedabove.

The personal message and second print fields 156,158 allow the operatorto enter and enable a personal message, such as “happy birthday”, forprinting by the control panel printer 66 when the particular employeeaccesses a compartment via the control panel 28. The operator can setthe number of times the personal message should be printed for theemployee. This message could also be generated automatically based uponinformation provided by other interfaced systems.

Once the above-described initialization and setup is complete, thesystem 20 is operable to manage the storage and distribution of themoney tills and communicate related information via the computer 30 andvarious peripheral equipment.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show a main menu screen 160 operable to provideselectable, graphical access to other screens, including those describedabove and below. The main menu screen 160 comprises pull-down menus 162,and function buttons 164, both of which are well-known in the art forproviding quick and easy access to other screens and various functions.The main menu screen 160 further includes a graphical interface 166operable to visually communicate compartment and till status informationusing pictorial compartment representations, or “boxes” 168, with eachsuch box 168 representing a compartment 24,26.

The program uses text and color to emphasize and communicate statusinformation in each box 168. For example, whether a compartment 24 doesor does not contain a till, as determined by the till sensor 56 locatedin the compartment 24, is communicated via the corresponding box 168 bythe words “full” or “empty”, respectively (see specifically FIG. 6).Once the program has been apprised of the type of a loaded till, thisinformation will appear in the box 168 as well (see specifically FIG.7). After an employee has turned in a dirty till, the employee's numberwill appear in the box 168 along with the till type (see specificallyFIG. 8). The box 168 will appear green when no special action isrequired or condition exists, as, for example, when the correspondinggeneral purpose compartment 24 is empty or holds a clean till. When acompartment 24,26 has a special designation the box will appear black,as, for example, when the compartment 24 has been designated a funds,drop, or unused compartment. When action is required the box 168 willappear red, as, for example, when a dirty till is loaded. Thus, thegraphical interface portion 166 of the screen 160 is semi-automaticallyresponsive to changes in compartment and till status based upon thecompartment's configuration and relevant sensor and detector informationprovided to the program.

In operation, the graphical interface works as follows. All boxes 168initially read “empty” and all but one are green, with the non-green boxbeing designated a drop compartment and appearing as a black box. Aclean till is loaded into a compartment 24 (not the drop compartment)causing the corresponding box to read full. No till type is displayedbecause the program has not yet been provided with till type informationfor the loaded till. Till type information can be entered by reading anaffixed bar code using the hand scanner 60, by entering the informationat the computer 30 using the keyboard 78 or mouse 80, or by any otherpractical means. Once the program has been apprised of the till type,the till type appears in the box 168 (e.g., checker, express, etc.).

Once a cashier has entered their identification and removed the till,the box 168 again reads empty and is green. Once the cashier hasreturned the till to a compartment 24, the corresponding box 168 turnsred and the employee's number and till type are displayed in the box168, indicating that the till needs to be removed and balanced. If atill balancing system, such as the Veri/Cash system, is used, anoperator may enter appropriate information, possibly by scanning barcodes, to prepare the integrated systems for the till balancingfunction.

A tremendous advantage of the present invention is that it allowsdetailed record-keeping related to till management. Whenever a till isreceived or returned by an employee, a record is generated of therelevant information, including time in, time out, and the type of till.These records are kept stored in continually updated databases for laterrecall and analysis. The program is operable to generate several reportsbased upon such stored information. These reports can also be printed onthe printer 86. FIGS. 9-12 show screen captures of these reports asdisplayed on the computer monitor 82; FIGS. 13-15 show example printoutsof the information. All such reports are accessible from a few screensby selecting the menu tab 172 corresponding to the desired report. Aprint function button 174 is included for convenience.

FIG. 9 shows a current activity screen 176 operable to report a list ofemployees currently in possession of a till, the type of till, and thetime and date the till was received. This particular report isinteractive in that the operator is able, from this screen, to change ordelete the displayed information.

FIG. 10 shows an authorization screen 178 operable to report allrecorded employees, their numbers, and the till types each is authorizedto receive. An asterisk next to a name indicates that the employee is inpossession of a till. FIG. 13 shows an example printout of theauthorization screen information.

FIG. 11 shows a till screen 180 operable to report all employeesauthorized to receive the particular till type to which the screenrelates. An asterisk next to a name indicates that the employee is inpossession of a till. A separate till screen 180 exists for each tilltype.

FIG. 12 is a funds compartment activity screen 182 operable to reportactivity relating to the funds compartment 26, including the accessingemployees, the total time each employee kept the compartment 26 open,and the number of times each employee accessed the compartment 26. Asimilar screen (not shown) exists to report drop compartment activity.Each activity screen is operable to display information for the currentor previous days as desired and selected from the drop down menu. FIGS.14 and 15 show examples of printouts of the funds compartment and dropcompartment activity records, respectively.

Other screens (not shown) include action-needed screens operable toindicate that a special action is required, such as restocking paper ina printer; reset screens operable to indicate that a daily reset ofcertain fields or information has occurred; and various help screens forproviding interactive assistance to system operators. As will beappreciated by those with skill in the art, various other interactive,information, database, report, and activity screens may be desirabledepending upon particular applications. Such screens are easily addedusing well-known programming techniques to supplement the abilities ofthe present invention.

The program may be easily adapted for use with other systems andsoftware, such as, for example, an employee time and attendance system,a labor scheduling system, a POS system, or a till balancing system. Byintegrating such systems a complete picture of the work environment canbe developed, which facilitates maximizing efficiency. For example,while an employee's log-on and log-off times from a register arerecorded by the POS system, their till check-out and return times arerecorded by the present invention. Integrating these systems andcomparing the differences in times will allow employers to spot costlytime-tracking abuses.

In operation, referring to FIG. 16, a progression of steps are shownwhich illustrate the general operation of the preferred system,described above, incorporating the preferred computer program, alsodescribed above, to monitor and manage the storage and distribution ofmoney tills. Assuming that all hardware and software has been installed,connected, and is operating properly, the system and software must firstbe configured and databases populated or updated, as appropriate, asdepicted in box 200. This step includes, for example, setting defaults;entering or updating employee information and authorizations; enteringor updating messages; both business and personal; for display orprinting; indicating which manager or other supervisor is authorized toaccess the funds compartment; and designating the drop compartment (ifdesired); as well as any other action required or desired prior toactual use of the system 20.

Only one compartment aligns with the drop slot 46 in the panel door 42and is therefore operable to act as the drop compartment. Nevertheless,because the drop compartment function may only be desired under certaincircumstances (e.g., at night), and because access protocols aredifferent for the drop compartment, when the cash drop function isdesired the computer 30 must be told to treat the appropriatecompartment as a drop compartment. This may be part of the daily orbeginning-of-shift system setup and configuration, or it may be done atany time during operation. If a drop compartment has been designated, itmay be desirable at some point to close the panel doors 42,44 andposition the chute 70 and drop box 72 (see FIG. 3) beneath the drop slotto catch deposits dropped therethrough, as is depicted in box 202.

The funds compartment 26 is not accessible from the rear and must beloaded from the front after the computer 30 has opened the door 40 ofthe funds compartment 26, as is depicted in box 204. Limiting the fundscompartment 26 to frontal access facilitates transferring exclusivecontrol and accountability of the funds to the designated employee. Oncethe funds compartment 26 is loaded, the compartment door 40 is closed.

Clean tills are loaded into the cabinet 22 from the rear, as is depictedin 206. If the computer 30 is provided with employee schedulinginformation, the computer 30 may be allowed to suggest till types andplacement so as to accommodate anticipated till needs and the knownheights of scheduled employees. Each till must be identified by type tothe computer 30, which may be accomplished automatically, using a barcode scanner incorporated into each compartment 24 and operable to reada bar code affixed to each till, or by hand scanning, for eachcompartment, a bar code affixed to the compartment 24 and a bar codeaffixed to the till loaded therein.

Once clean tills have been loaded, cabinet and compartment statuses aremonitored by and from the computer 30, as depicted in box 208. Visualand audible interfaces, such as, for example, graphical representations,computer-generated messages, and audible messages or tones, are alsoprovided for benefit of a human operator. Monitoring includes trackingtill needs and usage, and ensuring that compartment doors 40 are closedafter the compartments 24 have been accessed.

If, at any time, a condition occurs requiring human attention, and thesignaling option is enabled, the computer 30 will page or otherwisesignal a designated employee that the condition has occurred, as isdepicted in box 210. Such conditions could include, for example, theunavailability of a requested till type or the anticipated need for anunavailable till type.

A cashier needing a till, a manager needing funds, or an employeedesiring to deposit excess cash approaches the control panel 28 andenters his or her identification and password, as is depicted in box212. With regard to accessing the drop compartment, a common password isprovided to all employees. Additionally, a validation step may beincluded requiring further identification of all or selected employees,possibly using one or more of the above described conventional orbiometric input devices 68.

The entered identification and password data is sent from the controlpanel 28 to the computer 30 where it is matched to information stored inthe databases, as is depicted in box 214. The computer 30 then checks ordetermines, among other things, the employee's authorization to receivetills, the appropriate till type (if the employee is authorized toreceive more than one till type they will be prompted to indicate thedesired type), and, where more than one till of that type is loaded, toconsider the employee's height when choosing a compartment to open. Asdescribed above, where a requested till type is not available, a signalis sent communicating such to a remote designated employee. The employeeidentification step also allows the computer 30 to track the employee'stime in receipt of the till.

Once the matching is complete and the computer is satisfied, it sends anactuation signal to the appropriate solenoid 52 to open the door 40 tothe appropriate compartment 24,26 and allow access to the till, funds,or deposit slot therein. If the action is a drop deposit, the computer30 will cause the control panel printer 66 to print an identifying slipwhich can be attached to the deposit.

As the case may be, the cashier removes the till, the manager removesfunds or makes change as required, or the employee reaches through thedrop compartment and inserts a deposit through the drop slot 46, as isdepicted in box 216. The compartment door 40 is then manually closed.The computer 30 monitors the door's status and will display a message onthe display 64 if the door 40 remains open beyond a pre-establishedperiod of time. In another embodiment, the computer can close the door40 automatically.

A cashier returning a dirty till approaches the control panel 28 andenters his or her identification and password, as is depicted in box218. Validation may again be required, as described above. The employeeidentification data is sent to the computer where it is again matched tothe employee database, as is depicted in box 220. If no emptycompartments 24 are available to receive the till, a signal will be sentcommunicating such. Where more than one empty compartment 24 isavailable, the computer 30 will consider the employee's height whendesignating a particular compartment 24. Once the computer 30 issatisfied, it sends an actuation signal to the appropriate solenoid 52to open the door 40 to the appropriate compartment 24.

The computer 30 then instructs the control panel printer 66 to print oneor more messages, a timeslip, and an identifying number. The timeslipindicates times the employee was in receipt of the till. The identifyingnumber is placed in or on the till prior to placing the till in thecompartment 24. The identifying number is useful where cash roomemployees pull dirty tills for counting without otherwise noting orrecording the till-employee relationship.

The cashier places the till in the compartment 24 and closes the door40, as depicted in box 222. In some applications or circumstances, thecashier contemplating continued accountability for and subsequentretrieval of the dirty till may place the till in an exclusive access,storage-only compartment 25 having selectively restrictable rear access.Ultimately, the till is returned to the cabinet 22 for storage pendingremoval for balancing, as depicted in box 224. After the dirty till isremoved, a clean till is loaded, as depicted in box 206 and describedabove.

Method

The above described system 20 and computer program may be more generallyand broadly viewed as accomplishing a method of monitoring and managingstorage and distribution of money tills. As will be appreciated by thosewith skill in the art, however, the method may be implemented using anyhardware, software, or firmware or combination thereof, and is notlimited to the system and software described herein. The preferredmethod broadly comprises eight steps, as shown in FIG. 17. Additionalsteps may be added as desired or needed to adapt the method toparticular applications or circumstances without departing from thecontemplated scope of the present invention.

In step 1, as depicted in box 300, a secure holding space is providedfor storing the money tills. The holding space is divided into aplurality of smaller spaces or compartments, each sized to accommodate asingle till. Access to each compartment is regulated by a controller.

In step 2, as depicted in box 302, the controller is provided with orhas access to information sufficient to allow it to identify eachemployee desiring access to a compartment and to determine whether theemployee is authorized to conduct a particular requested transaction.

In step 3, as depicted in box 304, clean tills are loaded into thecompartments. If different till types or other designations ordistinctions are used, the controller is apprised of such.

In step 4, as depicted in box 306, an employee desiring to receive atill from a compartment provides identification information to thecontroller and, if applicable, requests to perform a particular type oftransaction.

In step 5, as depicted in box 308, the controller uses the enteredidentification and transaction data to confirm or deny the employee'sauthorization to access a compartment based upon the informationprovided to the controller in step 2, above. If confirmed, thecontroller allows access to the compartment and records relevantinformation, such as the employee's name, the time, and the till type,for subsequent recall and analysis. If denied, access to a compartmentis not allowed.

In step 6, as depicted in box 310, an employee desiring to return a tillto a compartment again provides identification information to thecontroller. In step 7, as depicted in box 312, the controller allowsaccess to an empty compartment and adds to its record of relevantinformation, including the time of the return.

In step 8, as depicted in box 314, the dirty till is removed and a cleantill is loaded in its place. The dirty till may be subsequentlyreconciled or balanced.

Although the invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it isnoted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made hereinwithout departing from the scope of the invention as recited in theclaims. For example, those with skill in the art will appreciate thatnumerous different embodiments of hardware, software, firmware orcombinations thereof exist for practicing the present invention.Accordingly, the present invention should not be viewed as limited tothe particular illustrative embodiment shown and described.

1. A system for controlling storage and distribution of money tills, the system comprising: a housing having a front side and a back side and substantially defining an interior space, the interior space being partitioned to provide a plurality of compartments, with each compartment being adapted to receive and store at least one of the money tills, and each compartment being associated with a door for controlling access to the compartment; an input device operable to accept an input of an employee identifier for identifying a particular employee; and a computing device operable to receive the input, record the employee identifier and a current time at which the input is received, and control access to the plurality of compartments based upon the input.
 2. The system as set forth in claim 1, there being at least two doors for controlling access to each compartment, including— a front side door for controlling access to the compartment through the front side of the housing; and a back side door for controlling access to the compartment through the back side of the housing.
 3. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including a presence sensor associated with each compartment for detecting a presence of any money till received within the compartment and for reporting the presence to the computing device.
 4. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including a type sensor associated with each compartment for detecting a type of any money till received within the compartment and for reporting the type to the computing device.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including one or more visual display devices mounted to the housing and operable to visually communicate a status of each compartment and a status of any money till received within the compartment.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted through a wall so as to present the front side to a first area defined by the wall and to present the back side to a second area defined by the wall.
 7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computing device is interfaced with a point-of-sale system and receives therefrom information pertaining to a time at which the particular employee logged into or logged out of a cash register, and wherein the computing device is adapted to determine and record a difference between the current time at which the input of the employee identifier is received and the time at which the particular employee logged into or logged out of the cash register.
 8. A method of controlling storage and distribution of money tills using a system comprising at least one compartment operable to receive at least one of the money tills, an input device operable to accept input data, and a controller operable to control access to the compartment, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving and storing authorization information; (b) receiving and storing a compartment status for each compartment and a till type for each money till; (c) accepting the input data from the input device; (d) comparing the input data to the authorization information to generate at least one of a plurality of possible comparison results, with the possible comparison results including at least a first comparison result and a second comparison result; (e) allowing access to at least one of the compartments based upon generating the first comparison result; (f) disallowing access to at least one of the compartments based upon generating the second comparison result; and (g) recording and storing information, including the time of accepting the input data, with the information being referenced to the input data.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 8, the information referred to in step (g) including the compartment status and till type.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprising the step of detecting and communicating via a portable signaling device the occurrence of a condition.
 11. The method as set forth in claim 8, the portable signaling device being a pager and the condition being non-availability of a particular till type
 12. A method of controlling storage and distribution of money tills, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a housing having a front side and a back side and substantially defining an interior space, the interior space being partitioned to provide a plurality of compartments, with each compartment being adapted to receive and store at least one of the money tills, and each compartment being associated with a door for controlling access to the compartment; (b) receiving an input of an employee identifier for identifying a particular employee; (c) recording the employee identifier and a current time at which the input is received; and (d) controlling the door, and thereby controlling access to the plurality of compartments, based upon the input.
 13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the step of providing at least two doors for controlling access to each compartment, including— a front side door for controlling access to the compartment through the front side of the housing; and a back side door for controlling access to the compartment through the back side of the housing.
 14. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the step of detecting a presence of any money till received within the compartment.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the step of detecting a type of any money till received within the compartment.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the step of visually communicating a status of each compartment and a status of any money till received within the compartment.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the step of mounting the housing through a wall so as to present the front side to a first area defined by the wall and to present the back side to a second area defined by the wall.
 18. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the steps of— interfacing with a point-of-sale system; receiving from the point-of-sale system information pertaining to a time at which the particular employee logged into or logged out of a cash register; and determining and recording a difference between the current time at which the input of the employee identifier is received and the time at which the particular employee logged into or logged out of the cash register. 